Learning New Tricks

What is it about learning something new that we enjoy?
Speak of undiscovered territory, expanding ones' horizons, et cetera. And while in the end that may be true it is not "it."

We enjoy it because in the end we defeat something within us that had held us back.

I have to learn the Ritchie Valens tune, 'La Bamba.' I mean all of it, including the "solo." At the last show, Jerry get on me that I need to know the song. He's right. No arguing here. During our last show during a break we began an impromptu version with Jerry playing the guitar and myself on his keyboards and "singing."
It was, interesting to say the least. Well appreciated by the audience as well.

But I need to learn the opening note for note and not, "approximately."
After visiting the new library of Alexandria, the Internet, I found on youtube a few examples and I was on my way. The first one sufficed.
Although the kid played it using many open strings rather than first, third and fifth fingers (he used two fingers throughout, as did Valens) I quickly found myself frustrated and wondering why in God's name had I chosen to play music...in front of people, no less? I burned through it. I played that opening ten times. Fifteen times, twenty.
I had it. I got it. I also knew that to continue would risk another frustration borne of being tired and taxing the system.
It was time to sleep on it. I played it one more time and went to bed.

I awoke and did my morning routine. As the computer booted up I remembered 'La Bamaba.'
I picked up the guitar and played it. Too slow.
Took my shower, woke up and played it again; this time pressing as fast as I could. I screwed it big time, but saw the progress and smiled.
What had been frustrating yesterday was conquered today.
As a young kid I remember thinking that driving a car was hard...how would I ever accomplish it? To put the nagging doubt to rest I told myself that by the time I got to college, I'd have figured it out.

That memory came back to me. Yesterday I could have quit playing, my fingers were not responding I couldn't play it at all. I knew to lay down and absorb it while asleep. To wait for it to come to me.
I still need to polish it...a lot. I am older and it shows, but I can still play it.. It just takes a bit more effort.

By beating a thing that had been beyond me twenty four hours earlier, I had mounted a hurdle, cleared an obstacle. It was the fight that made me better in several ways... not the least of which was the growth to my musical repertoire. Made learning a new trick, very much worthwhile. Many time musically, things just come to me...effortlessly. Many times it takes effort and application to achieve my goal.

I used to often wonder why I love being a perpetual student. I thought it was a lifestyle. I realize it is a way of personal challenge and growth that excites me and not necessarily the environment, which in itself isn't bad.

Unbridled Joy, Why?

I don't understand why playing has such an impact upon me. It's one of those rare highs that seems to outlast the act for a very long dreamy while.

When my daughter was born I thought I had experienced the ultimate high. The rush was very long lasting and deep. She had been born at midnight and I wandered the streets of my town until dawn.
When I arrived at work that afternoon I was still feeling it. I think it wore off about three years later.

When I play, I feel some of that same rush. And it lasts and lasts. Like the water reaching me on the beach, there are ebbs and flows but it is recognizable and somewhat relentless; long after the gig. And I crave it as an addict would. There are few lulls in that need. It is an extermely determined desire...this passion to play. To play with others and make a connection, to play for others and make another magical connection that although different, is nonetheless very energetic and integral to the high I feel.

When a show is over, the first rush is a breathless feeling of being spent. As we sit and enjoy a coke and talk over the show, the energy returns. It builds again. No desire to catch your breath...it is wondrous to be used and tired and yet aching to go again. A song starts in the jukebox and the impulse we all share is to grab our instruments and jam along. Begin anew.

I can imagine playing to our deaths. Ignoring the bodies call for sustenance or rest...just riding that crest for a long, long time.

My season of creativity is looming. As the days shorten, words tumble out and melodies flow.Another high altogether. One that needs an appreciative audience. Mixing the live performance with the introspective process of creation is a delicate balance, but very rewarding when done well. This I must learn.

I look forward to getting high for the rest of my days. My hope is some of the audience also reap that same buzz from our evening on stage.

It Works Because We Will It To Do So...

At Characters yesterday the retirement party for 'Big Ed' was held.
Replete with well executed BBQ and music provided by Jerry, Steve and me.

During the week, I had spoken with 'Big Joe' and invited he and his brother Jesse to join us. Jesse plays the drums and 'Big Joe' the harmonica. Jerry reminded me to make certain 'Big Joe' knew he wasn't going to be paid, so I told him it was a jam and he was welcome to sit in.

As background, 'Big Joe' is looking to put a Blues Band together - toward that end we (He and Steve and myself) had held a rehearsal or two and had more scheduled.

We took our first break and Jerry had bought a round, could I help him carry it back? Sure.
When we returned with the drinks,'Big Joe' turns to me like King Farouk to a minion, and says, "Get me a coke."
I was somewhat taken aback and must have been standing there, my mouth agape...

Sylvia, Steve the bass players girl friend is five feet nothing, steps in, plants her hands on her hips and says to 'Big Joe,' "Excuse me?"

When it ended 'Big Joe' was leaving, a stream of expletives exiting his mouth as he went.
In the vernacular, she had ripped him a new one.
Sylvia was still hot and upset as we took to the stage again. This time, sans drums and harmonica.

I went to the mike to apologize, when my mouth opened I said, "Forty years ago today, Jimi Hendrix died."
'Hey Joe' followed. And you know what? It was better than good. For some reason, it was particularly sweet and moving.
In the aftermath of the ruckus that the resident ego and the protective girlfriend produced I had expected us to quietly fold the tent and call it a day. Oh.Hell.No.

We didn't leave the stage until after seven pm.
And as we did, Jerry turns to me and says, "We have another gig next weekend besides the Characters thing.
You up for it?"
Is Sylvia coming? You know I am.

----------------------------------
Being in a band is like being married to several people at once - an almost impossible situation. Add to it the fact that ego is probably the one thing we all have in common. I am very deferential, I look for harmony - I just want to play.
I have no need to do a particular song or solo all the time. There always seems to be that one person who must put the thoughts of what's best for the band aside and think only of themselves.

So it looks as though Steve and I will not be invited back to 'Big Joes.' Ah well, no loss - really.
As Ralph Kramden would say, "A mere bag of shells..."

Acoustically Speaking...The Tone Is Set In Stone

When I go shopping, for an acoustic, I will just strum the guitars as they hang from the wall, listening to the tone. Things such as the action can be addressed later but tone is set in stone - so to speak.

Ovations - either you love them or hate them. I happen to have been in lust for one since the early 1970s. When I finally decided to begin looking for one, I was surprised to find the Celebrity line. Inexpensive Chinese builds, they are Ovations 100%. The tone, the feel, the appointments.

You can see where cost cutting took place - the material used in the bracing structure, even the "multi piece exotic hardwood rosette" feels relatively cheap. Liberal use of foam materials to buffer or dampen. When I opened the backing plate it appears as though the cap is one piece? I was under the impression that it is laminated. The top has a small dimple near the bridge at one end (there are several pencil marks on the inside indicating why it could not be used for the side that will show).

Very typical Ovation neck - which is to say, fast. Frets are well set, the undercut is evident under the binding, which is thick. There is abalone binding on the face to compliment the stunning quilt.
One of the abalone fret markers is the exact same color as the portion of the fretboard it occupies...and so is invisible. There are numerous pin marks from the manufacturing process on the back of the neck, I would assume marks from hanging.There is a small gap as the binding transitions from the body to the neck.
The pre-amp OP4B is serviceable - a three band EQ and a built in tuner, but nothing special as far as bells and whistles. As far as delivering tone - in spades (with the EQ left neutral).

The action is adjustable? Yeah, remove the strings and carefully lift the bridge and there are shims underneath/inside. By adding or removing shims the end user can adjust the action, which as far as I know is very unusual for acoustics. Just one innovation among the many Ovations brings to the table.


Other innovations (also cost cutting) are a pinless bridge (through holes, like any modern tailpiece) the multi sound holes (which I have to believe increase cost - access to the truss rod is via a removable panel on the back) and of course the spherical composite bowl for a back. That allowed for some very innovate bracing structures such as the X or in the case of the Celebrity it is a Quintad.

The tone is Ovation. It is so distinct and easily recognized. A Strat can be heard coming from a mile away whereas humbuckers as practiced on Gibsons are oft copied and so have attained almost a generic status, like a Q-Tip or Xereox - most humbckers sound similar. (I think only the player hears the differnece much of the time - our perception of the sound is very different from the audiences)
Ovations have a touch of reverb and much fuller mid range frequencies. The upper registers can get somewhat brittle. That can be altered with a string change.
The guitar just rings. This thing fairly warbles in my ear. Never mind that they string it with a wound 'G' at the factory, bronze - too. They are also pretty loud even before you plug them in. The slimline pickup when coupled with the OP4B preamp deliver beautiful Ovation shades. There is almost a buzz when they play, an electric snap. They are also the only guitars I have seen people physically play the life right out of. They thrash and beat them as though they were playing the nastiest metal imaginable.

None of the flaws really took anything away from this guitar. It seems to be priced at $499 for the flame quilt top, but if you're willing to buy through GO-DPS/Amazon as I did, you can score one for $449. (Tell Joe that Ernie sent you).

Retailers/Ovation portray it as a starter guitar and because of the inexpensive nature, I'd agree, but for sound quality it is incredibly difficult to tell it apart from a more expensive brother.

Passion Has Nothing To Do With Volume

Since I bought the Ovation I have been listening to McLaughlins album, 'My Goals Beyond' again. (June 1970)
Three of the songs on the albums are standards with the rest being originals by John. The entire album is acoustic...Id Est - not an electric instrument for miles...

As a young man, passion often equated with volume. The war in Vietnam was something we shouted about.
Rebellion is usually felt most deeply when exercised at the top of ones lungs. Or at least that is the perception of youth. Hopefully, we learn as we get older to remain passionate and not have to flatten our diaphragms to do so.

But strangely enough, when I discovered the album as a lad of sixteen in 1972 I was immediately taken by the passion exhibited by McLaughlin. I was blown away. Never had I encountered an acoustic guitar being played with such ferocity. I easily imagined smoke rising from McLaughlins fingertips as he played.

The original tunes are very heavily influenced by Indian music. This was during McLaughlins very spiritual phase - he was given the name, Mahavishnu by his guru, Sri Chinmoy which led to a band known as The Mahavishnu Orchestra. My interest in the spiritual aspect lasted maybe a week, perhaps less.

Other reviewers have noted that they don't consider the technical expertise to be on par with later works.
I would strongly disagree.
While everyone tends to improve the longer they play, John's technique at this point was superb. In fact on the following album, 'The Inner Mounting Flame,' his fingering style, proficiency with arpeggios, desire to explore, decreased. It was an album of emotional release with much less regard for proper technique. It was an album to be felt.

The opening piece on 'My Goals Beyond is called 'Peace One' & it begins with a loping bass line and seething drone. The atmosphere for the rest of the album is set.

And then McLaughlin begins to pick. I can well imagine he was channeling Yehudi Menuhin while he played.
The back and forth between himself and the violinist, Jerry Goodman , the flow he achieves is just flat out amazing. The notes tumble forth in staccato rips or in smooth waterfalls. Sheets, cascades of music.
All of it says to me - passion. And this is just the first tune. Whew...

It was then that I learned that passion has little to do with volume. No longer was there a need to shout. The blood could be made to boil with quiet zeal. I think this album contributed to my musical growth in no mean way. It was an album of passage.

Now, if only I could still sit on the floor, cross-legged and play.

Track listing: GoodBye Pork-Pie Hat; Something Spiritual; Hearts and Flowers; Phillip Lane; Waltz for Bill Evans; Follow Your Heart; Song For My Mother; Blue in Green; Peace One; Peace Two

Personnel: John McLaughlin- guitar; Billy Cobham- drums; Jerry Goodman- violin; Charlie Haden- bass; Dave Liebman- sax; Airto Moreira- percussion; Badal Roy- tabla; Mahalakshmi- drone box

Ovation Celebrity Deluxe Quilt

Updated at the bottom:

Developed starting in 1966 and introduced as the 'Balladeer' in February, 1967, Ovations reached the height of their popularity in the 1980s, where they were more often than not seen during live performances by touring artists if acoustic guitars were being played.
Using his background in aviation engineering, Charles Kaman designed a rounded-bowl back, intended to improve the flow of sound through the guitar, and developed a new top bracing system.

Ovations have a distinctive chime in their acoustic sound. Once plugged in, they are subject to tone alteration as any other electric.
But that bowl that makes up the back and the bracing it allowed Kaman to dabble with...what a stroke!

It was the album, 'My Goals Beyond,' that brought these guitars to me. Seething jazz that was laid upon droning Indian music. McLaughlin was deep in his spiritual phase when he recorded this masterpiece. And he made his guitar sing. The way he was able to craft that authentic tone was awe inspiring.

Al DiMeola also played an Ovation very early on. He taught me to imitate those I admired...Hold my pick the same way, move my wrist in the same fashion, even if I didn't recognize the reason behind the behavior.In time I would come to understand. Maybe it was then that the seed was planted.

1972 I was sixteen and got my first guitar, I was fascinated by the finish. It was artwork to me. If could have slept with it, I would have. I may have, once. But as I grew older, finish became an ornament I could do without.
In some cases, to my great surprise, it was a boon. My SG is a 'Faded' model - think pre faded jeans.
(Although in a guitars case it makes the model cheaper rather than more expensive as in jeans/fashion - go figure)
A new guitar that appears old and worn out of the box.
The guitar has a very fast neck and never needs polishing. The finish is a satin. It is an application of three coats rather than eight, thus the cost saving and lack of glossy finish.Wax it once or twice a year at most.

When I started looking for an acoustic I knew an Ovation would rank high on my list - excellent guitars for much less money. Korean made plus the composite backing...much less wood and finish is needed.
On my short list was a model called the Ovation Celebrity Deluxe. They have a wonderful cherry red finish that is warm and very deep.
I have tried all the major vendors in the past, Guitar Center, zZounds, MusiciansFriend and have had relatively good experiences with them all.
I had not tried SweetWater, however. I have no idea why not. In their favor, they list the exact guitar you are buying. You can peruse through six different cherry finished guitars and decided which one you want. They are listed by serial numbers..."I'll take that one."
This, is not normal for online vendors. You model may vary from the picture...et cetera.

I am now in serious window shopping mode.
Oh, good grief...A "Trans Blue" finish...[rolling my eyes] it looks purple in half the pictures and blue in the rest. Ah, I see...transparent/transforming. An either or finish.
The 'Paduak' is a au natural finish of a reddish wood, doesn't move me.

Then I scroll to the "Blue Burst Quilted Top."
Game over.
In the last thirty years the finish on a guitar has done nothing for me. After all, I spend more time in which I can't see what they look like. The audience can see them, but I can only  hear them.
The Strat has a nice Sienna burst that I like but it never excited me.
And blue is probably the LAST color choice for me; but something in this top spoke to me.
Makes me want to touch it.
Makes me want to play.

(Click the picture and see a much larger shot...quilted top, indeed - this is THE guitar they are sending)
And now, I must practice exquisite patience and savor the anticipation - like a beautiful fall tableau...and wait for the FedEx truck to arrive.

Sad Update - Sweet Water is  more like Brackish Water...

Trent from Sweet Water calls and leaves a message. That particular guitar is not in stock...even though the website says otherwise. Do I want to remain "in line" for two or three weeks?

I call back and get Trent on the phone. Trent speaks over me. Trent tells me the website says out of stock - it, in fact says, "Limited Availability." - and plainly explains they have it on hand. Trent uses well crafted phrasing as to not commit to anything other than he'll call and let me know when the guitar is available. Trent has turned a mild disappointment into a distasteful encounter. The word, 'smarmy' comes to mind.

Sweet Water is offering me nothing in the way of service. They had charged me $2 to have Fed-Ex obtain my signature as proof of delivery? (Had I declined and the box stolen before I had taken delivery, Sweet Water wants me to assume responsibility?)
No-thank-you.

GO-DPS (via Amazon) has it in stock...and get this - $52 cheaper?
It will ship tomorrow. Oh, and get this - I sent an email through Amazon asking GO-DPS to try and pick out a particular look I am after out of the five guitars they have in stock - I realize how subjective that kind of request can be, nonetheless I think I was able to convey my desire.
I also know in this day & age service is more often than not what a particular person brings to the experience, not a corporate culture instilled from the top down. So my hopes weren't high.

Four hours later I have an email in hand which read,

"Hi Ernie,

I will look in the morning for you. They are beautiful guitars. This is a great choice.

Hope you enjoy it, and remember us for your future music needs.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks for the order.

Joe"

Joe - this is the epitome of good service. You can be certain, I will. 

Vendors - all you have is service to offer...most retailers keep strict pricing intact.
So practice what you preach.
The face that Trent put upon Sweet Water soured my experience completely.

And what Joe did, renewed my faith in mankind.
;)